Four Chinese Rock Crystal Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期水晶鼻烟壺四支

-The first, early 19th century, of elongated flattened rounded-rectangular form, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, with a concave lip and protruding oval footrim, the flawless transparent body undecorated on the main sides, the narrow sides with well-carved mask-and-rings, extremely-well hollowed
-The second, 19th century, of flat double-gourd shape, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, the lip flat, the clear stone very well hollowed, with the hollowing closely following the outline of the bottle.
-The third, circa 1750-1860, of flattened-rectangular form, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, flat lip, the recessed foot surrounded by an oval protruding footrim, the stone undecorated and almost flawless, very well hollowed.
-The fourth, early 19th century, the shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, the lip flat, the oval base concave, carved in low relief on one main side depicting three figures in a boat, with a small open pavilion and rockwork, a yellow inclusion carved as a reflection of the setting sun or the moon, perhaps refering to a legend about the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, the reverse with a pine tree, well-hollowed.

Largest Height without stopper 2 9/16 in., 6.5 cm.

Property from the Estate of Dr. Thomas Klein, sold to benefit Jefferson Hospital

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

-The first: Merces Gallery, Great Neck, NY, January 7, 2024, lot 90

-Double-gourd: acquired from a dealer, Asian Arts Fair, New York, 1998

-The third: A private collection, acquired in Hong Kong, 1985

Sold Bonham’s Hong Kong, May 26, 2014, lot 66

-The fourth: Sotheby’s New York, January 21, 1982, lot 198

-all: Property from the Estate of Dr. Thomas Klein, sold to benefit Jefferson Hospital

湯姆·克萊因醫生收藏鼻烟壺逾四十年。他畢業於哈佛大學與羅徹斯特大學，曾於美國陸軍擔任婦產科醫師並出任高階領導職務。其後於傑佛遜醫院服務三十年，2023年以婦產科副主任身分榮退，期間培養了五百餘名住院醫師與無數醫學生。他的學術與臨床精神延續於以其名設立的「Thomas A. Klein 講席教授」，本場拍賣所得亦歸於傑佛遜醫院。

Tom Klein’s life was shaped by two enduring passions: medicine and the collecting of snuff bottles. While these worlds rarely intersected, both were marked by the same qualities—quiet dedication, discernment, and grace.

Tom was unfailingly modest–when the I.C.S.B.S. held its convention in Philadelphia, he entrusted me to select bottles from his collection for the exhibition “Embers of the East,” a task made challenging by the number of exceptional bottles. His passion for collecting was thoughtful rather than acquisitive, grounded in appreciation rather than display. These were his companions—objects he handled, studied, and loved for over 40 years.

Professionally, Tom enjoyed an equally distinguished career. A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Rochester, he served as an obstetrician-gynecologist in the U.S. Army in senior leadership roles. He spent thirty years at Jefferson Hospital, retiring in 2023 as Vice Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, having trained more than five hundred residents and countless medical students. His legacy continues through the Thomas A. Klein, MD Professorship in Quality and Safety in Women’s Health.

To those who knew him as a collector, these accomplishments mirrored the man I admired: principled, generous, and exacting without pretension. Over the 35 years I had the privilege to know him, he was a gentleman in the most absolute sense of the word. Though he is deeply missed, his presence endures in the objects he cherished and in our shared love of snuff bottles.

Clare Chu

Four Chinese Rock Crystal Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期 水晶鼻烟壺四支

Four Chinese Rock Crystal Snuff Bottles, 18th to 19th Century

清中期 水晶鼻烟壺四支

清中期水晶鼻烟壺四支

清中期水晶鼻烟壺四支